Beyond The Clouds
by LilyBartAndTheOthers
Summary: Rain. Sun. Fog. Wind. Snow. Five short, independent chapters about the impact of the weather on Jane and Maura's state of mind. / Rizzles. Updates on Wednesday and Sunday.
1. Rain

**RAIN**

She had always liked the rain.

How drops slid along her skin like gentle caresses, sometimes cool and sometimes icy. The smell that rose from the ground. The shades it echoed against the buildings.

The world used to go to a different pace when it started raining. People would hurry up and the streets would empty. Life slowed down. A unique quietness would wrap the city.

Nobody really understood why all these lonely, endless walks in the rain but then nobody really understood her in the first place. To the eyes of many, Maura Isles was strange. And thus captivating.

She had tried to look a bit more like them in the past. She had tried to fit in. It hadn't worked out so she had simply accepted the fact that perhaps she was supposed to be unique. It was neither a blessing nor a curse.

It was just how life was supposed to be.

 _Do you even know where you're going to?_

No. She had absolutely no idea. Sometimes she would reach the river, sometimes she would end up in Chinatown. The destination didn't matter. It was walking that she liked, walking in the rain. Walking alone.

And thinking about Jane.

Jane had showed up in her life without any warning. Her presence had been sudden, almost violent. Loud. A storm of feelings and of new perspectives.

The only thing that had remained untouched was Maura's love for the rain.

She wished Jane understood. She wished Jane read her silences. Her smiles and her tears. Her loneliness. It would make things easier and words wouldn't be needed. Then they would acknowledge a thousand things.

And they would be happy together. So happy.

...

It would happen in the rain because everything looked better in the rain. Better and romantic like in the movies.

Jane would run after her or they would come across each other on the street because it was meant to be. She believed in fate, not in coincidences. Jane would grab her wrist. She would pin her against a wall of brick and they would share their first kiss.

Or if she happened to be daring like in Maura's wildest dreams then she would kiss her there, right in the middle of street.

In the rain.

She had an endless list of scenarios in head. An endless list of possibilities, of hopeful what-if. Of course none of them would ever come true but she didn't care as long as she managed to lose herself in them.

Escaping reality for a land made of fantasies had its perks because nothing hurt once there. Nothing at all. Not even her loneliness.

"You're dying for a walk, aren't you?"

Jane's question made her smile because they both knew how rhetorical her question was. It had been raining non-stop for two hours now and Maura couldn't stop staring at the ballet of drops sliding down the windows. It soothed her soul.

"Where would you go to if you weren't stuck at work?"

 _Wherever you would be able to catch me back._

Maura shrugged. She crossed her arms against her chest then leaned against the wall to be as close to the rain drops as possible. She could almost feel their coolness against the windows. She followed one of them with the tip of her index finger. Absent-mindedly. Then she remembered where she was and she walked out of Jane's office without saying a word.

Jane didn't mind her silences. She may not understand them all the time but she never made any remark. She accepted them just as she accepted Maura's uniqueness.

"Maura?"

She looked up at the call of her name. Jane was standing in the hallway with several reports in hand. She was turning her back at the rain. Thus she couldn't see the drops that slid against the windows nor the shade that echoed against the building opposite the street. She was missing out what Maura lived for. What nobody could see.

A singular beauty.

"How about a drink, tonight?"

The doors of the elevator closed. They swallowed the smile that had lit up Maura's eyes. She had nodded just on time though. Just before Jane to vanish from her sight.

It would have stopped raining by the time they would leave the BPD later in the evening. The asphalt would still be wet but the sky would be clear of any cloud.

It would even be sunny.

And one more time, Maura would have missed her chances. Jane wouldn't catch her back in order to kiss her on the street. In the rain like in the movies.

She closed her eyes as her smile turned bitter and a lonely tear ran down her cheek.

Perhaps it was the reason why she loved the rain so much in the end. Perhaps. Because at least when she went out on her lonely walks then nobody could tell whether she was crying from a broken heart or if it was just rain drops that kept on coming to die at the corner of her mouth.

Perhaps.


	2. Sun

_**Author's notee: Thank you very much for the reviews - I'm sorry I've posted this new chapter a bit late but I was celebrating my birthday with my family so I was a tad busy!**_

 **SUN**

She didn't like the sun. Even less in the summer when the city hit unbearable temperatures and the asphalt seemed to melt under your feet. When walking in the shadows became a necessity and the constant sound of the AC in the background prevented you from focusing on whatever you were doing.

Then there were the smells. Rising from every corner and floating in the air until late in the night. You didn't manage to fall asleep.

The light was too blinding.

You couldn't hide yourself when you stood in the sun. You couldn't pass unnoticed. People saw you. Hundreds of strangers stared at you. They could judge you. Assumptions. Whispers. Lies. Their eyes weighed on you just as much as the golden heat that came from that cloudless sky hitting hard on your nape.

People could read through you.

And they could tell. They could tell that you looked at her just a second too long, that your attention was drawn to the sound of her voice. That you fed yourself of her smiles, of the way she moved around. They could tell that your life made no sense without Maura Isles. So you remained quiet because you couldn't lie.

Quiet and nervous.

It had hit her like a ton of bricks on a sunny summer day. Maura had smiled at her and her heart had skipped a beat. Then everything had made sense.

She had tried to run away from it. She wouldn't deny her feelings but she would pretend that they didn't matter, that she could keep on as if nothing were happening. Of course it hadn't worked out because the heart always ends up winning. It isn't a fair battle.

"Jane..."

Maura called her name and the world would stop. On lucky days she would even take her hand or brush her arm. The sudden contact would send a shiver down Jane's spine. She would swallow hard.

"Yeah?"

The glass hits the table a bit too hard and betrays a latent frustration from Maura. Pursed lips. Deep line on her forehead. Dark veil in front of her eyes.

 _She's mad._

"You're not listening. You're never listening. Do you even care about me?"

Someone passes by on the street. The blinding sun disappears for a second and for a second the table is dark. Cold. For a second Jane can hide herself behind an invisible mask. She can allow herself to breathe.

"That's not true. I do listen to you."

"Then why don't you look at me when I talk to you?"

Because she can't. Because if she does then you may realize some things, some things that she doesn't handle well. Because no one can lie in the sun. Because the light is too bright. It is hot, too hot. She's hurting.

Once they almost kissed. It was an accident but Jane can't stop thinking about it. She hates the way it has turned into an obsession now.

"... 'Cause the sun's blinding."

And the AC is on. She can't focus. The sound in the background gets on her nerves. Maura is too pretty. She is wearing a summer dress. Emerald green. The fabric brushes her ankles whenever she crosses her legs or walks.

The cafe they're at is quiet. Rather empty.

It's a day off, today. There's no autopsy, no report. No murder to solve. Maura isn't a medical examiner and she isn't a detective. They are just two women. Two women drinking iced coffee.

And Jane is in love but Maura doesn't know about it.

"You think I'm boring, don't you? You think I'm boring and weird."

The bitterness in Maura's voice breaks Jane's heart. Maura is everything but boring. Maura isn't weird but unique. Maura is smart, beautiful and funny. Maura is the reason why Jane is here, the reason why her heart beats.

But Jane can't say all this.

"No, I don't." Maura doesn't look like she's convinced. "If I did then I wouldn't be here."

There was no other woman before Maura. Maura is the only one. Jane doesn't understand why it had to happen. Why now. Why her. She has a thousand questions but zero answer. And it all lies there. In the sun.

"What are you thinking about?"

Their conversation lacks structure. Its pace is odd and it highlights many silent failures. The shadows hide them for a while.

Then the sun reappears. Again, and again, and again.

No one can escape from it.

"Nothing worth being mentioned."

It is going to rain by the end of the week. In three days. Jane has checked the weather forecast. There won't be sun. Just storms and Maura's lonely, endless walks in the downpour. Jane is relieved. What are a few more days in a whole life of lies? She can do it.

She likes the shadows, gray shades over the city. People don't even realize that she exists by then. It gives her a well-needed sentiment of freedom.

"What is wrong with you?"

 _I love you. I am in love with you._

Maura's words echo in her head. Loudly. They scream, mock her distress. Then the sun hit her face and she winces.

Jane hates the sun. She hates it just as much as her feelings.


	3. Fog

_**Author's note: Thank you very much for all the reviews and the birthday wishes - I'm glad to see that you're liking this story so far even if it may be a bit different from what I usually write.**_

 **Fog**

The fog that floated over Boston echoed the fog that reigned over her heart. She couldn't see one thing. Not even the cherry tree in the patio of her house. Not even Jane's smiles. The world had disappeared and the city had turned quiet. Muffled sounds. Invisible buildings.

Incomprehensible feelings.

"Perfect weather for a murder."

Absent-minded voice. She looked down after a while, a bit disoriented. The mug of tea that she was holding was still hot. It felt nice against the palm of her hands. Comforting.

She was losing Jane. Little by little. She knew it. She could feel it deep inside and it left her completely disarmed. She didn't understand: why now, why them. Were her feelings to blame? Had Jane guessed? She tried to focus but the fog was too thick. Besides, she was scared to face a truth that she wouldn't like.

They still saw each other. They still hung out together. But something was off. Something had broken and there was a distance between them now. An invisible one.

"It won't last."

Nothing ever lasts.

Even sadness comes and goes.

"Do you want to spend the night? It isn't safe to drive right now." _Be reasonable. Please. Be reasonable for once._ Silence. "Jane?"

Endless seconds in the passing of time. Doubts. Jane would have answered her right away not so long ago. She would have sounded happy and fine. But it was different now. Everything was different. She was nothing but silences. Nothing but whispers.

 _Please, stay. Stay with me. Stay here. Don't leave this house. You have no idea how cold it feels when you aren't around._

"I don't know."

Maura held back a sigh. She closed her eyes briefly then she walked to the living-room, to the couch where Jane was sitting. It only took her six steps to close the distance between them but the gap seemed wider.

Unbearable.

Dangerous.

"Do you think we lead normal lives?"

The question had its effect. Jane looked up and she stared at Maura as if she had just lost her mind. She shook her head, swept the question away with her hand.

"What?! Ugh. You've been talkin' to ma' again, right? How many times have I told you to not do that, Maura?"

Even the way Jane said her name sounded different. It lacked a thousand sweet feelings and only highlighted dark ones. Anger. Annoyance. Frustration. Maura looked down at her feet. The fog outside weighed on the house. She could feel it against her back. It was heavy and damp. Cold.

"No, I haven't."

She missed Jane's sorry face because of the fog in her brain. She missed how Jane shrugged, how she tried to find a honest answer to a not so easy question.

"What's normality anyway?"

Jane's voice betrayed a latent nervousness but Maura mistook it for something else. She sat down on the couch nonetheless. There, just next to Jane. Then she cast a glance at the fog again.

A shadow moved out on the street. A passer-by? What kind of person would want to go out right now?

"Normality is the exact opposite of what I am. I'm probably the least normal person you'll ever meet in your life."

Maura leaned her head backwards. She closed her eyes then she sighed. Not a sigh of relief but a sigh of bitterness. Cruel mistake because if she had looked at Jane then she would have noticed the whirl of emotions in her dark eyes.

The long hesitation before her to talk again.

"I like the way you are. I'm glad you've made it into my life."

Jane reached for Maura. Without any warning. Within a second. She took her in her arms and she planted a quiet kiss on her cheek. She wouldn't let go of her. She would keep on holding her tightly.

Maura should have smiled but she would remain still instead. Because of that fog, because her life wouldn't make sense anymore.

Because of Jane.

The compliment had reached her heart. It had rushed to her brain and it had embraced her soul. Then why? Why did she keep on feeling lonely? Why would the fog not clear?

Why?

"I wish I were normal at times. I wish..." Maura opened her eyes again. She looked at Jane and she shook her head. The words wouldn't pass her lips. She would swallow them back. "I don't think we lead normal lives."

But Jane's arms were comforting. And warm. They soothed Maura's insecurities and they made her feel alive.

It wasn't normality. Friends didn't behave like that.

Maura knew it.

But in the fog nobody would notice the mere thing and if that fog was only temporary then Maura had to make the best out of it.

Jane leaned her head on top of Maura's. She closed her eyes. She smiled.

"Then so be it."

She would spend the night. She wouldn't leave and drive in the fog. She would stay against Maura instead and it would feel fine. So fine.


	4. Wind

_**Author's note: Here comes today's update before I go out to see if the French are happily drunk thanks to this World Cup.**_

 **Wind**

Everyone likes a summer breeze but nobody can stand a strong wind. It is when nature reminds you how powerful it can be. How you are nothing.

Jane hates being vulnerable and that's why she hates the wind: it brings her back to that, to her vulnerability. All the time, everywhere. It makes her feel weak. And from her weakness rise her doubts and all the things she does then regrets right away.

Like the words she has just said to Maura.

Harsh words. Words she doesn't even believe in. Why did she say them in the first place? What pushed her to say what she said? Guilt has crept in her mind. In her heart. But she's way too proud to acknowledge her mistakes. So she turns around and she walks away.

Tears show in her eyes.

Perhaps it's because of the wind. It's blowing hard. She can't see a thing. Her hair is tied up in a ponytail but flocks are dancing before her eyes. It drives her mad. The wind isn't good for her nerves. She knows it.

Detective Jane Rizzoli and Medical Examiner Maura Isles never argue on a crime scene. They work together. Hand in hand. They may be different but it is from their differences that rises their strength. They complete each other. And that's why they have such a good reputation.

All the time.

Every day.

Every day but today.

Today Jane screwed it. Deep inside she knows that it has to do with jealousy, that she doesn't like that guy. The one Maura is seeing. He's nice and smart and polite.

But as the days pass by, he takes Maura away from her. She hates it.

Of course she doesn't say a thing to Maura. She hides behind stupid arguments instead. Then she finds herself even more alone. It hurts. It's her fault. Maura only deserves the best.

"Jane!"

Jane doesn't hear Maura call her name because of the wind. It is blowing too hard, she's walking too fast and her inner thoughts are too loud. She is annoyed. Pissed. She wants to go home and yell. She wants to hit something. Anything. Her frustration is too high right now.

She doesn't even dream about confessing her feelings. She's convinced that it would only make things worse. She could even lose Maura in the process. Little by little.

Then there's the rest anyway. People. Work. Herself. The feelings she has for Maura don't make sense. They don't fit in even if it isn't a mere fling. The whole thing is impossible. That's why she remains quiet over it.

Maybe she can scream her frustration out now. Because she's far enough from the crime scene, far enough from Maura. So she stops at the corner of a street and she opens her mouth.

Not a single sound comes out.

It hurts deep inside. It hurts too much.

She leans against a wall. Her forehead hits the bricks. She closes her eyes tight. Very tight. Then she begins to cry.

With a little bit of luck, her feelings will fade away. With a little bit of luck, she will meet someone and this someone will make her forget about Maura. With a little bit of luck, she will wake up from this nightmare. And everything will be alright. With a little bit of luck, the wind will calm down and life will be peaceful again.

With a little bit of luck.

Perhaps.

She's holding so many regrets. She has tried to focus on her job but she has reached this point of no-return. She has a murder to solve and trials to attend. Her life has crashed but the world keeps on turning. And she has to go on. We always have to go on. No matter what.

"Jane..."

She hears it this time. She hears it because Maura is only a few inches from her. She's standing in her back and her voice twirls in the wind softly. So softly.

"Leave me alone."

Has anyone else followed them? Jane's outburst must have caught everyone by surprise. The police, the forensics team. The media.

"No."

Maura's hand feels hot on her shoulder. It contrasts with the wind because this wind is cold. Almost icy. Winter is just at the corner now and soon it will be snowing.

Maura forces her to turn around and to look at her. Jane does. Reluctantly. More flocks of hair dance before her eyes. She looks at Maura and she feels a new wave of bitterness rush through her veins. Will it ever stop?

It isn't fair.

"You won't run away from me. Not this time. Never again."

Maura isn't whispering but the wind is so strong that Jane barely hears her. The words don't have time to reach her brain though. They stop mid-way the moment Maura pins her against the wall and kisses her.

On the mouth.


	5. Snow

_**Author's note: Thank you all for the reviews and the congratulations for the World Cup (and to the guest reviewer who came to Paris, I hope you enjoyed your stay here) - there's just one chapter left after this one, an epilogue of some sort.**_

 **Snow**

Winter had come. With its cold mornings, short days and quiet nights at home. With its snow. The flakes dancing all around, twirling. Melting on children's tongues as they would try to swallow them. Whitening the city for a while. Quieting everything down.

They loved the snow. The two of them, Jane and Maura. They loved it but they never said it out loud. Adults rarely take the time to say what they like. They think it is obvious or not worth being mentioned. How wrong they are.

Jane liked snow fights. They reminded her of her childhood and how she and her brothers played outside until their hands were too red. Then they hurried back inside. Their mother wouldn't fight back. She wouldn't tell them that she had warned them. She would simply go to the kitchen to prepare giant mugs of hot chocolate.

Maura wasn't into snow fights. Not because she didn't like them but because she had never really been into any. She liked the snow though. She liked it differently. She liked observing it. How it covered the streets, the roofs, the grass. How colors disappeared and succombed to a kingdom of white. She liked the sound of her steps in the snow. That peculiar sound that didn't sound like any other one. The snow didn't take her back to her childhood because she had very seldom memories of it. Happy memories, that is.

But she loved the snow nonetheless. Even more now than she was with Jane.

It had been three months now. Three months since she had pinned Jane against that wall of bricks downtown Boston. Three months since she had kissed her and that Jane had kissed her back. Three months. What were three months in a life?

Nothing and everything at the same time.

They had taken their time. They had gone slow, at their own pace. They had embraced the confusion and the happiness. They had made a thousand feelings theirs. Then and only then had they decided to stop keeping it for themselves.

Had people been surprised? Perhaps. Probably not. Not really.

Neither of them knew why it had happened, why to them. But then everything can't be explained.

"A penny for your thoughts."

The remark caused Maura to smile. She looked at Jane and shrugged. Hands in the pockets of her coat. Lungs filled of that crispy air that only snow days brought.

"I wasn't thinking actually. I was just..." She scanned her surroundings. The white beauty of Boston Common in the winter. "I was just letting life carry me."

With Jane by her side. A random stroll in a park. With snow flakes falling from the sky and dancing around. Just a stroll in the middle of the winter. With the only person she wanted to be with right now.

"You mean that Dr. Maura Isles disconnects at times?!"

It was a joke and nothing but a joke. Maura knew it. Because of Jane's light tone. Because of how mischievous she looked now.

"You should try it some time. Disconnecting is important."

They were an item. They were into a romantic relationship. They were linked in a different way, a subtle one. A powerful one. The transition from friendship had been oddly easy. Too easy? Maybe. Maura liked thinking that it was just how it was supposed to be.

They felt fine together. The rest didn't matter much at all.

"I can't. I have too much on my mind right now."

Maura's breathing became shorter. She stopped walking. The whiteness of the snow became blurry. Just a tad. Just enough for her to focus entirely on what Jane had just said.

"Why?"

There she was. She sounded worried because she ignored the nature of Jane's troubles.

Jane wasn't working on any investigation right now. Days at the BPD were going slow and quiet. Everything was going fine. Life wasn't as stressful as it was sometimes.

"Because..."

Jane shrugged. Words wouldn't come out. Her dark eyes focused on a tree far in the distance near one of the coffee stands of Boston Common. Hands in the pockets of her coat. Just like Maura. Except she looked nervous. Unsure of herself.

Maura waited. Perhaps she should have said something but her brain had shut down and the pace of her heartbeats were such that she barely felt the touch of the snow flakes on her cheeks.

Though it was snowing hard now.

"Because there's something I've been thinking about for a while. Something that... I don't know. I'm not so sure."

Maura's first reaction was to feel bad because she hadn't seen anything. She had missed all the signs. She hadn't been able to realize that Jane wasn't alright. What kind of partner was she? She would have to be careful from now on or else it would cost her a lot. Too much.

"What is it?"

A thin layer of snow covered their coats now. Because they were standing still in the middle of a path. Unaware of how life kept on going on around them. Unaware on how it kept on snowing hard. And the snow flakes glimmered in their hair like a thousand icy diamonds.

Jane looked into Maura's eyes.

"I was wondering if you'd like to become my wife."


	6. The Weather

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews - it was nice to write this little story - I'll be back soon with another one!**_

 **Weather**

Jane and Maura got married on a beautiful day of May. There were clouds in the sky on that day. Big white clouds. A peaceful blue sky. Warm temperatures. A thousand smiles.

Unforgettable memories.

It was raining the day Maura learned that she was pregnant. Jane was out of town. On a business trip. So Maura went for a walk in the rain and she let the drops melt in her tears of joy. They had tried for a while. They had almost lost hope at some point. But there she was.

They were going to have a child.

Their twins were born in the winter. It had snowed the day before. That typical gray sky. But the clouds were gone by the time the babies made it to the world and they got welcomed by the sun. By a layer of whiteness that shone like diamonds.

The same kind of weather as the day Jane had proposed to Maura.

The seasons come and go. The years pass by. But Maura's love for Jane and Jane's love for Maura keep on being exactly the same. Strong. Unbreakable. Mysterious and perfect.

They are made for each other.

Sometimes there's fog. Sometimes it's too hot and sunny. Sometimes there's wind. It isn't always perfect but that's because life isn't. There are days better than others, some that we want to remember and some that we wish we could erase. Ups and downs.

But there's still the rain. There's still the snow.

There's always hope.

Jane doesn't go walk with Maura when it rains. She still doesn't understand that strange habit but she knows that it belongs to her wife. So she respects it. She respects Maura's uniqueness just as Maura respects hers. And perhaps everything isn't made to be understood.

Perhaps we should just learn to let go. At times.

To let go and accept things the way they are.

There will be sun on the day the twins leave for college. Jane will hate it because she won't be able to hide her emotions much. Her sunglasses will betray her. Everyone will realize that she's crying. She will think that she's too vulnerable but Maura will comfort her.

And they will handle it together.

The weather will always have an impact on their life. Even if they don't notice it. It will weigh on their mood, on their tears and on their smiles.

It's just how it works. Not just for Jane and Maura but for everyone.

The weather leads our lives.

It leads our actions. Our choices. Without the wind who knows if Maura would have kissed Jane? Maybe it wouldn't have happened and they wouldn't have got married. They wouldn't have had children. They wouldn't have seen them leave for college.

They would have never been an item.

They owe their whole life to the wind. And to the snow. To these days of rain, of fog and of sun. The weather pushed them to go on even when they wanted to stop and give up. It helped them figure everything out. Somehow. To an extent.

And they're so happy now.


End file.
